Cuckoo Bees are parasitic. The cuckoo bee lays her eggs in the nest of other bees, primarily digger bees and Andrenids. Cuckoos are also said to be kleptoparasites, stealing honey and pollen collected by others. Cuckoo bees lack any pollen-transporting apparatus. Look for cuckoo bees flying low over the ground and foliage, hunting for foraging and nesting potential victims.

"Anthophorid Bees (920 NA spp) are most diverse in the western U.S. Three distinctive subfamilies are recognized: Nomadinae (Cuckoo Bees), Anthophorinae (Digger Bees), and Xylocopinae (Carpenter Bees). "

— Michener, Charles D., The Bees of the World Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press ISBN/ISSN: 0-8018-6133-0